KUWAIT: The death toll of a fiery fire that gutted a multi-storey building in the southern district of Al-Mangaf early on Wednesday has jumped to 49, the Ministry of Interior announced. Major General Nasser Abu-Slaib, the MoI Security Information Director, affirmed in a press release that the landlords of burned buildings would be stiffly penalized.
Personnel of the MoI’s directorate general of criminal evidence are investigating the causes of the fire and identifying some victims. His Highness the Amir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah has ordered the relevant officials to instantly follow up on the tragic occurrence, seek to identify its causes, and bring those responsible to account.
Meanwhile, Kuwait’s public prosecutor has started an investigation into a fire that tore through a building housing expat workers in the southern Mangaf area. The probe aims to uncover the circumstances behind the incident and what might have triggered the deadly inferno, the public prosecutor said on social media platform X, praising the state-wide response to the disaster.
First Deputy Prime Minister, Defense Minister, and Interior Minister Sheikh Fahad Al-Yousef Saud Al-Sabah has warned that any building violation would be addressed without prior warning as of Thursday. The minister gave the warning in the aftermath of the fire incident. "As of Thursday, the Municipality and its teams will respond to all violations at all apartment buildings without prior warning,” the minister told reporters while inspecting the fire site. The owner of the blaze building will be kept in custody until investigations into the causes of the fire are over, the minister pointed out.
Minister suspends officials
Minister of Public Works and Minister of Municipality Dr Noura Al-Mashaan suspended on Wednesday administrators at the Al-Ahmadi Municipal branch pending investigations into the fire that engulfed a building in the Mangaf area. In a statement to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), Dr Al-Mashaan affirmed that she instructed the municipality to open a full investigation into the matter.
On his part, Director General of Kuwait Municipality Saud Al-Dabbous expressed deep condolences to the families of the victims, affirming that an investigation was launched to determine the cause of the blaze. The suspended administrators were replaced by colleagues from other branches until the investigative process was concluded, he affirmed. — KUNA